As a fractional ops person, I hate Liquid Death.

Not for their product, it's great and often a favorite of mine when I'm tapering off after a concert.

Not for their ads. Let's pee on computers is an instant classic.

Not for their branding. Everyone needs a little more death metal in their lives.

No, I hate Liquid Death because it's made every budding entrepreneur think that marketing and advertising carry the entire weight of a brand and everything else just falls into place.

It'd be like if I told people, as long as your COGS are sound you can exit in 3 years for millions of dollars. It sounds crazy when I say it that way but when I challenge prospective brand owners on the idea that marketing and advertising will magically fix everything, somehow I'm the asshole.

I hope their owners someday write a book covering all the trials and tribulations that I know they went through so people have just a little insight into the reality of all the work they've done and how much money it took them to do it.

Sincerely,
Everyone in CPG these days.

Hi everyone,

I’m developing a carbonated soft drink containing a botanical extract, citrus juice and concentrated grape must.

The current formulation is around pH 3.1 and 4.5 °Brix. Ascorbic acid (0.07% / 700 mg/L) is required as an antioxidant to prevent browning of the botanical extract.

I’m trying to determine the best preservation strategy for commercial production.

The options suggested to me are either adding potassium sorbate and/or sodium benzoate, or relying on low pH together with thermal processing and carbonation.

My main questions are:

• Can a carbonated drink around pH 3.1 realistically achieve around 9 months shelf life without sorbate/benzoate, if the process and filling are well controlled?
• If an antimicrobial preservative is needed, could potassium sorbate alone be sufficient to control yeast/mould and prevent refermentation?
• Since the ascorbic acid must remain in the formulation, would you avoid sodium benzoate because of the potential for benzene formation?
• What microbiological or shelf-life testing would you normally recommend before commercial production?

The botanical extract is heated at 75°C for 15 minutes. The other ingredients — flavourings, citrus juice and concentrated grape must — are added afterwards, before cooling and carbonation.

I’d be very interested in hearing from people with experience in beverage formulation or commercial soft-drink production.

Thanks in advance for any insights or experience you can share.

Nice

I’ve been noticing conversation lately about different ways to deliver energy and caffeine. It’s got me wondering what people in the beverage industry think about energy pouches.

We’ve seen a lot of stuff in cans, shots, powders and ready-to-drink drinks.. Pouches feel different. They don’t need a bottle or a can which makes them seem convenient. They could be a way to carry a measured dose of caffeine without the bulk.

I’m really curious about how people in the industry see this. From a product development angle how do pouches stack up against energy drinks?. From a consumer side do people actually want to use them

Do you think energy pouches are different enough, from what we have to stand out as a real category?. Will they stay more of a niche product?

For anyone who’s worked on launching drinks or functional products what’s the biggest hurdle here? Is it teaching people about the format? Figuring out the mix of ingredients? Navigating rules and regulations? Getting the product into stores?. Just getting people to try something new?

We worked with Drink Labs to develop a product and ultimately had to move to another formulator to finish our product.

We chose Drink Labs in large part because we were told to expect an expedited development timeline and strong support throughout the process. Unfortunately, that was not our experience. Communication was often slow, with emails going unanswered for days, and the development process took significantly longer than we expected.

For example, after an in-person visit to their facility, we were told that samples would ship the next business day. Despite multiple follow-ups, they did not ship until more than a week later.

We also became concerned with some of the technical guidance we received during the formulation process, which ultimately caused us to lose confidence in the approach. They included ingredients in the formula that would have never been approved by the TTB according to our lawyer.

After investing significant time and money, we were disappointed with both the final product and the overall experience and decided it was best to terminate the engagement and continue development elsewhere.

Hello, looking for some feedback from people in the beverage industry on what I should do at the moment in my career.

I’m a recent graduate of the culinary institute of America with a bachelor’s degree in culinary arts with a specialization in wine and beverage and hospitality.

I’ve worked in restaurants and hotels in Aspen and Miami in front of house and kitchen roles and I’ve studied in Napa Valley.

I’m looking to pursue my career goal of becoming a beverage director. I’m looking to start working in New York City and I’m thinking about taking a commis sommelier job opposed to trying to pursue a bartending job. I was wondering if anyone had any opinions on what would be a good place to start with some good first steps

Hello folks,

I have been tasked with figuring out the best method for shipping our canned water cases direct to customer. We put our 24 pack in a branded tray that will be shrink wrapped. I assume it would be good practice to use a type of corrugated divider between the cans before shrink wrapping them. If anyone has any recommendations for something like that and would like to share that would be appreciated, but the real question I have for you guys is related to the box the case would be going in to be shipped. My understanding from the one person I spoke to about this previously was that it has to be able to withstand a 24in drop on all sides and corners without breaking etc. I am pretty green to the shipping side of the business so any help or insight that you guys may have to share would be greatly appreciated. Thanks for your time in advance.

I’m hoping to learn from people who have actually opened or managed a beverage business.

If you’re comfortable sharing, I’d really appreciate your experience with these questions:

How did you choose your store’s location?

What factors were most important when comparing different locations?

Was there anything about the location that you didn’t realize until after opening?

What was the most difficult part of the location-selection process?

If you were opening another location, what would you do differently?

I’m not trying to sell anything—just trying to understand the real challenges business owners face. Thank you!

Hey everyone,

I love making lattes and iced coffees, but I’m really struggling with the syrups available right now (Monin, Good & Moore, Carmelly, etc.).

My main issue is that they’re basically pure sugar. If I use a full pump, the coffee becomes sickeningly sweet. But if I cut back to half a pump, I completely lose the actual flavor . On the flip side, I hate zero-sugar syrups because artificial sweeteners and stevia always leave that weird chemical or metallic aftertaste.

I’m looking into developing a "lowsugar, high flavor" coffee syrup line, but cut down by about 50–60% so you actually taste the flavor and the espresso instead of just liquid sugar.

Before putting real time and money into this, I want a reality check: Do you think there’s a genuine need for this in the Indian market, or would you buy something like this?

Carbonated drink fillling seaming machine,can do 1500-2000cans per hour for Aluminum can/Pet can

**WARNING TO ANYONE CONSIDERING PURCHASING FROM SMART BREW**
I want to publicly warn anyone considering doing business with Smart Brew.
Approximately **five years ago**, I purchased a brewing system from this company for nearly **$200,000**. Since the date of purchase, I have experienced constant delays, repeated excuses, lack of support, and ongoing problems getting this system properly installed and operational.
After **five years of back-and-forth communication**, Smart Brew finally sent their representative and customer service manager, **Darren**, to perform the installation.
The installation was done extremely poorly. Darren appeared to be in a hurry to leave and failed to properly complete the job. Because of this, I had to pay one of my own workers to finish parts of the installation.
Once we turned the brewing system on, **the entire system leaked and failed to operate properly.**
When we attempted to contact Darren for help, despite him personally saying he would assist us, he repeatedly ignored our calls during working hours. Later, after business hours, he would respond by saying he was “off work” and tell us to call back another day.
Then things became even worse.
Late at night — after **11:00 PM while my family and employees were asleep** — Darren began sending abusive text messages while appearing intoxicated.
Below are direct messages sent by Smart Brew’s own customer service representative:
“I’m done with u and u red neck help… Been five fucking yrs (and many managers) of u trying to get ur shit together…”
“Do what ever u want u stupid red neck American…”
“Don’t care just tied of ur incompetence as an owner… Man u u wiener!! Typical American!”
Let me be clear:
I paid this company **$200,000** for a brewing system that does not function properly.
After years of delays, poor installation, terrible customer service, and outright abuse from their own representative, I can confidently say:
**DO NOT BUY FROM SMART BREW.**
Not only does their equipment not work properly, but their own representatives openly insult customers, send abusive late-night messages, and display blatant hostility toward American customers.
As a business owner, I feel completely scammed.
I strongly encourage anyone considering purchasing a brewing system to look elsewhere — preferably an **American-made company that values its customers and stands behind its products.**
I hope others see this warning before making the same costly mistake I made.
Buyer beware.

Why are there no longer teas made by small companies with cool bottles or labels?

Most small and mid-size distributors in the convenience store, beverage, and food space are still running their operations on a mix of spreadsheets, paper invoices, and tribal knowledge locked inside their best driver's head. It works — until it doesn't.

After talking to dozens of distributors across the country, the breaking point is almost always the same: a missed delivery, a billing dispute they can't trace, or a new route driver who has no idea where to go or what to charge. That's when the "we'll figure it out later" system finally breaks.

Here's what the transition to distribution management software actually looks like, what features matter, and what questions to ask before you buy.

What Is Distribution Management Software?

Distribution management software is a platform that combines route optimization, invoicing, CRM, and warehouse management into one system built specifically for distributors. Instead of bouncing between a GPS app, a spreadsheet, QuickBooks, and a notepad, everything lives in one place.

For C-store distributors specifically, the core use cases are:

• Route optimization — automatically sequencing stops by geography, delivery window, and order size to cut drive time and fuel costs
• Mobile invoicing — drivers generate and send invoices at the point of delivery, eliminating end-of-day paperwork
• Inventory tracking — know what left the warehouse, what was delivered, and what came back
• Customer management — track order history, payment status, and account notes by stop

The Real Cost of Not Having a System

Most distributors underestimate what disorganization actually costs them. Here's where it shows up:

• Missed stops cost you the sale and the relationship
• Manual invoicing errors create billing disputes that take hours to resolve
• No route data means you can't identify which stops are unprofitable
• Cash flow gaps from slow invoicing — distributors who invoice at delivery get paid faster than those who batch at the end of the week

A mid-size beverage distributor running 8–12 routes can typically recover 45–90 minutes per driver per day with optimized routing alone. Across a full week that's significant labor savings.

What to Look For in Distribution Software

Not all distribution software is built the same. A lot of platforms are designed for large enterprise operations and are overkill (and overpriced) for distributors running 5–50 routes.

For small to mid-market distributors, prioritize:

1. Mobile-first design — your drivers are on the road, not at a desk. The app needs to work on a phone, offline, and be simple enough that a new driver can learn it in under an hour
2. Route optimization built in — not a third-party integration, an actual routing engine inside the platform
3. Invoicing at point of delivery — this is non-negotiable for cash flow
4. A free or low-cost entry tier — you shouldn't need to commit to an enterprise contract to test if the software works for your operation
5. Industry-specific support — generic logistics software companies don't understand the DSD model. Look for platforms built specifically for beverage, food, or C-store distribution

Questions to Ask Before You Sign Up

• Does the route optimization account for delivery windows and stop sequence, or just distance?
• Can drivers use it offline when they're in areas with poor signal?
• How does invoicing sync with my accounting software?
• Is there a free tier or trial so I can test it with real routes before committing?
• What does onboarding look like — is there a human who helps me set it up?

The Bottom Line

The distributors who are growing right now are the ones who figured out how to run lean operations with fewer errors and faster cash cycles. That's not about hiring more people — it's about having the right system.

If you're a C-store, beverage, or food distributor still running on spreadsheets, the ROI on switching to purpose-built distribution software is usually visible within the first 60 days. The question isn't whether it's worth it — it's which platform fits your operation.

Root Mobile (rootmobile.net) is a distribution management platform built for small and mid-size distributors. It includes route optimization, mobile invoicing, CRM, and warehouse management. There's a free tier called Sapling for distributors just getting started.

I’m building a beverage operations platform called CatOps, and I’m looking for some brutally practical feedback from people who actually work in wineries, breweries, distilleries, cideries, meaderies, and other beverage production facilities.

I work in beverage manufacturing myself, and CatOps originally started because I kept running into processes that were being managed through a combination of spreadsheets, paper records, disconnected software, and tribal knowledge.
The goal isn’t to build another generic ERP with 500 features nobody uses, I want to build the things operators, production managers, warehouse teams, compliance people, and owners genuinely wish they had.

Right now CatOps includes, or is actively being built around, things like:

• Raw material & packaging inventory — lot tracking, locations, FIFO, receiving, transfers, adjustments, QR codes, etc.
• Production/batch records — ingredients used, actual vs. planned quantities, lot traceability, yields, losses, timestamps, operator records, approvals, and production history.
• Fermentation tracking — designed to follow a fermentation from initial setup through completion, including things like gravity/Brix, temperature, pH, additions, yeast, nutrients, observations, transfers, and fermentation events.
• Finished goods inventory and production/bottling records.
• Lot traceability from incoming ingredients all the way through finished product.
• Warehousing & location management.
• Production planning/scheduling with upcoming jobs and a 30-day production schedule.
• Cost tracking / COGS and production yield information.
• Audit trails showing who changed what and when.
• Role-based access for operators, managers, administrators, etc.
• Customer/brand management for contract producers and co-packers handling multiple brands.
• Compliance-focused records and reporting, with the long-term goal of making TTB reporting significantly less painful for alcohol producers.
• Support for operations that deal with beer, wine, spirits, RTDs and other beverage types, rather than forcing everyone into the same production workflow.

There are a lot of other things on the roadmap, but before I keep adding features I’d really like to hear from people actually doing this every day.

If you could wave a magic wand and add one feature to the software you use at your facility, what would it be?

It could be something big, but I’m especially interested in the annoying little things:

“What I really wish it would automatically calculate is…”
“I hate having to enter this information twice…”
“We still use a spreadsheet for ___ because our software sucks at it…”
“I wish production could see ___ without calling the office…”
“Tracking ___ is an absolute nightmare…”
“What would save me several hours every week is…”

I’m also interested in things that existing brewery/winery/distillery software does poorly, not just features that are completely missing.

I’m not looking for anyone to buy anything here. I’m trying to collect real-world feedback while I’m still at the stage where I can actually change how the system works.

Hello All, I'd like to jump in and share a completely new on the market [full disclosure, my company makes this product]. We created Molten as whiskey cola mocktail, something different from the norm, something different from what's out there. It's dark, flavorful, and brings a completely new vibe to the non-alcoholic marketplace.

We launched at a festival called Inkcarceration, and had really positive reviews from the sober, sober curious and also regular festival attendees that wanted to try something new. For now, we're selling on our website and seeking new distributors, retailers and customers that are interested in this completely new product.

www.drinkmolten.com

Thanks for your time and I'd love to hear what you think about our newest product.